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OF THE LATE 



Hon. Walter Fdlger. 



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Front tlie Van tucket inquirer, Sent. 21, 1S4Q 



NEW BEDFORD: 

Eessenden & Baker, Printers. 

is 74 . 



JVleraoir 



OF THE LATE 



Hon. Walter J/blger. 



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5Voin tl^e Xai^ttidket Lqquifef, $ept. 21, 1§49- 



NE W BEDFORD: 

Eessenden <£ Baker, Printers. 

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Hon. Walter Folger was the eldest son, but the fourth 
child of Walter and Elizabeth Folger, and was born on the 
12th day of June, 1765. He attended, when of a suitable 
age, the schools of that period, where reading, writing and 
arithmetic were taught. In none of the schools was 
Grammar a branch of study, and whilst a scholar he never 
saw a Dictionary. In 1782 and 1783, he went to school 
winter evenings, and learned Navigation by Logarithms, and 
Gauging by Gunter. He had previously obtained, by 
studying at home, a good knowledge of Navigation as 
then practiced by the Tables of Latitude and Departure, and 
by Gunter's Scale. When in school, he often surprised his 
teacher by solving Arithmetical questions in a new and 
shorter manner than the teacher had been accustomed to. 
Soon after this period, he and several other young gentlemen 
began the study of Algebra without an instructor, and con- 
tinued it till they were well acquainted with its principles ; 
they also obtained some knowledge of Fluxions. 

On the 29th of December, 1785, he was married to Anna, 
daughter of Alexander Ray. They lived together, in har- 
mony, 59 years, she dying on the 20th of September, 1844. 
They had a family of eight" sons and two daughters to grow 
up, all of whom, but one daughter, who died a young woman, 
have married and are blessed with families. 



About the time of the French Revolution of 1789, he, 
with several others, one of whom was his sister, (Phebe 
Coleman,) began the study of the French language. Hav- 
ing procured Boyer's French Grammar and Dictionary, and 
several other books in that language, they met during the 
evening, three times a week, studied the language and 
translated the whole of the New Testament. Now he first 
learned Grammar. They occasionally had the assistance of 
some Frenchman in learning the pronunciation. He after- 
wards read much in the Encyclopaedia Methodique and 
other French books, and acquired from them much infor- 
mation in the arts and sciences. He -could converse in the 
language, and found it useful to him when thrown into the 
company, of foreigners abroad — in stage coaches and at 
hotels. 

For many years he employed most of his leisure time in 
studying, much of which time was taken from the hours de- 
votedly others to sleep. 

About the year 1783 he was unwell, confined to the house, 
and most of the time to his bed. During this time he learned 
the Lunar Observations, from a book one of his uncles had 
procured abroad, the first of its kind on the Island. He 
was the first person on the Island who learned them. He 
taught them, about the year 1789, to Capt. Joseph Chase of 
this place, who was perhaps the first American captain who 
found his longitude by Lunar Observations. 

When a young man. his father being in good circumstances, 
there were some thoughts of sending him to college, but 
owing to religious scruples, (his father being a Friend,) the 
idea was not carried into effect; so that he was almost 
wholly self-taught. No doubt, if he had had the benefits of a 
college education, he would have become more distinguished 
n the paths of literature and science. 

During the Revolutionary War, his father worked at the 
tin-plate business and farming, and the subject of our memoir 



assisted him . After peace took place and the whaling fleet had 
brought cargoes of oil to the Island, the manufacturing of 
sperm oil and candles, which had been suspended during the 
war, was resumed by them, his father's being the second 
candle manufactory on the Island. 

At intervals, whilst engaged in the above mentioned em- 
ployments, he took up the business of a watch and clock 
maker, which business he carried on for many years of his life. 

He had obtained considerable knowledge of Astronomy as 
early as the year 1788, for in that year he commenced his 
Astronomical clock, which he completed in 1790, and set in 
motion on the fourth of July of that year. 

He was about 22 years of age, when he planned this clock. 
He submitted the plan to his father, who was an excellent 
mechanic and good mathematician, and could comprehend 
it, and who was satisfied it would operate well. Besides 
what is usual in clocks, it keeps the date of the year, and 
also of the month. The sun and moon rise and set in the 
clock, at the same time those luminaries do in the heavens ; 
it shows also the Sun's place in the Ecliptic. It keeps the 
motion of the moon's nodes around the Ecliptic, which take 
18 years and 225 days in the revolution, and the wheel that 
performs this revolution is that time in turning, being in con- 
tinual motion all the while. One of the wheels that keeps 
the date of the year, is 100 years in performing a revolution ; 
remaining stationary 10 years, then moving one notch. This 
clock is considered by all who have become acquainted with its 
powers and performances, one of the greatest specimens 
of mechanical ingenuity in the country. It must have re- 
quired superior mechanical skill and a good knowledge of 
Astronomy, to construct it ; it also requires some knowledge 
of that science to put it in regular operation. . 

He calculated and published an Almanac for the year 1790 ; 
he also made the calculations for one for 1791, and at a later 
period was called upon to assist in completing Low's Alma- 
nap — Low himself having died before its completion. 



6 

Whilst engaged in the watch-making business, lie studied 
medicine and surgery, and acquired as thorough a knowledge 
of them as the most of the practitioners of that period. He 
practised some as a physician and surgeon, particularly dur- 
ing the prevalence of the putrid sore throat (in 1795 I think.) 
He had two physicians and many other persons under his care 
hut lost not a patient. He prepared most of the medicines 
he used and furnished them and his advice and attendance 
gratuitously. He afterwards occasionally gave medical ad- 
vice, and at two different periods obtained the vaccine virus, 
and inoculated a number of persons gratuitously. 

He was concerned, many years ago, in a duck factory in 
this place, and at one time was one of the Directors — probably 
about 1793 or 1794. 

He was one of the Directors of the Nantucket Bank, which 
honorably closed its business, paying dollar for dollar, about 
the^ year 1804. At one period he engraA^ed the plate and 
printed the bills for this institution. 

It was probably in consequence of his connection with this 
Bank that his attention was directed to the study of law, 
having become well versed in which he gave up the watch- 
making business as a means of livelihood. As a Counsellor 
and Attorney at Law, he practised many years at the 
courts in this State and Rhode Island, quitting the practice 
altogether about the year 1828, when age and weariness of 
the profession induced him to retire from it. 

He was one year a Representative in the General Court of 
Massachusetts, and six years a Senator in the same — from 
1809 to 1815, inclusive. 

As a lawyer he was generally very successful, showing a 
deep knowledge of the laws. He sometimes seemed to lack 
language to convey his ideas, but was convincing in argu- 
ment. 

He was six years a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 
and of the Court of Sessions in this Countv, before the Cir- 



cuit Courts were established, at one time being Chief Justice 
of both of those Courts. While serving in the capacity of 
Judge, there was not a single case carried to a higher court, 
which had frequently been done before and has been since. 

He was elected for this District, including then, Barnstable, 
Nantucket and Dukes Counties, to the fifteenth and sixteenth 
Congresses, which he attended during the winters of 1817, 
1818, 1819, 1820 and 1821. When in Congress, as well as 
when in the General Court, he was frequently called upon to 
make the calculations for the reports before those bodies, 
being generally acknowledged to be superior to the other 
members in mathematical ability. 

During the last war with Great Britain, he established a 
factory at home, where carding, spinning and weaving were 
carried on by himself and his sons. His were among the 
earliest power looms in this country, and he manufactured 
many kinds of cotton and woolen cloths, some of them of 
excellent quality. At one time, when he went to the General 
Court, all his clothing was made from cloth manufactured 
in his establishment by his own family. One of his sons had 
his marriage suit made of cloth from the same factory. 
After peace took place, it is probable that the low price of 
foreign goods caused him to quit manufacturing. He was 
also an excellent chemist, and well acquainted with the art 
of coloring. 

Many years ago, being fitting out part of a whale-ship, he 
made a calculation by a difficult Fluxional process, what 
form oil casks should have to hold the most with the least 
superficies, aud he had his casks made agreeably to his plan, 
though contrary to the cooper's views. Gradually the 
people adopted his ideas, and by this means a great amount 
of money has been saved in this Island, as well as to other 
places where whaling has been carried on. 

In 1812, he. discovered a process for annealing wire without 
changing its color. He recommended it to Mr. Benjamin 



8 

Andrews, a hardware merchant of Boston, who had a wire 
factory in Roxbury, or that vicinity, and Mr. Folger went 
out to it with him, and saw him put the wire into the cylinder, 
which was enclosed and heated, according to his direction, 
and from which the wire was taken out as bright as ever. 
Recently, this process of annealing has been announced in 
Europe as a great discovery which had lately been made 
^here. 

He made several other discoveries and inventions in the 
arts, which he used in his own mechanical operations, and 
for which others have since taken out jDatents. 

When a young man he made several telescopes, some of 
considerable power. The last one he constructed he began 
in 1819, at the age of 54 years, and finished about 1821. He 
cast the speculum and made the whole telescope himself. It 
is a reflecting telescope, has a magnifying power of about 
450, taking in about one-sixth of the moon's surface at once, 
and shows the mountains of the moon very plainly, and also 
the spots on Venus. At the time of its construction, it was 
probably the best in America, being so pronounced, I believe, 
by the late Dr. Prince, of Salem. 

About the year 1823, he made a number of good thermom- 
eters; and he kept a register of the thermometer, ba- 
rometer, winds and weather from 1827 to 1848 — a period of 
21 years. 

He had become so distinguished for his scientific; mathemat_ 
ical and mechanical genius, that for many years he used to 
be consulted by persons abroad, with regard to new inven- 
tions or discoveries of theirs. 

A mathematician of Connecticut once sent him a treatise on 
Surveying, accompanied by some mathematical question with 
regard to constructing a part of the machinery used in wind- 
ing cotton. He, upon examination, approved of the book, 
and sent him a letter containing his approbatory remarks ; 
also a diagram illustrating the method of constructing the 



part of the machine in question, and the necessary figures to 
show how he had accomplished the same. 

Mr. Folger acted many years as a surveyor of land, and 
some of the large layings out of land here were made by 
him as principal surveyor. In 1821 or 1822, he was with 
Captain Colesworthy, in the survey then made of the South 
Shoal of Nantucket. 

He was a proprietor of the Academy in this place, which 
went into operation hi 1801. He composed the ode sung on 
the occasion by the best singers on the Island, to the tune 
called Victory. 

Although never, I believe, a teacher of a common school, 
he ever took a lively interest in public education. During 
two winters, in the evenings, he taught the principles of 
Navigation and Nautical Astronomy, to a number of ship- 
masters and others, some of whom had navigated the globe 
by using the tables in the Navigator, without understanding 
the principles on which those tables were constructed. 

He made observations on the Comet of 1811, which he fur- 
nished to the mathematical Professor at Cambridge Univer- 
sity. He has since calculated the orbit of a comet. Dr. 
Bowditch, and other distinguished astronomers and mathe- 
maticians abroad, corresponded with him, and often received 
from him useful hints and aid in their pursuits. 

The writer of these lines had an idea that the subject of 
them was better as an inventor or constructor than as a 
practical workman, but he is assured by a good practical 
mechanic, that in no one thing could he, the mechanic, excel 
Walter Folger. 

He seemed to be ever ready to aid, with his advice or cal- 
culations, those who desired his help in mechanics, 
mathematics or science. He also gave, gratuitously, legal 
- advice, which could not be procured elsewhere without a fee. 
It may be said of him that he discouraged litigation. 

He owned a considerable part of a whale ship which was 



10 

taken by the British in the last war, when returning home 
from the Pacific, laden with oil, at a time when that article 
bore a very high price here. He has since lost considerable 
sums by failures and otherwise. His mind never seemed 
bent on enriching himself — he was ever frugal in his expen- 
ses, and plain in his dress and manner of living. 

His parents were members of the Society of Friends, and 
educated their son in their tenets. Although he left the 
Society after arriving at manhood, there is no doubt but that 
he held to many of their views. He ever spoke of the Deity 
with reverence, and of the Saviour as a pattern to follow. As 
a Judge and as a citizen, he was upright and honest in all his 
dealings ; perhaps rather too rigid and unforgiving with regard 
to such as he believed to be dishonest or deceitful ; this feeling 
seemed to gain upon him till within the last year of his life. 

In the 70th year of his age, he commenced a genealogy of 
the people of the Island, a work of some considerable labor, 
and to which he has continued to add till a late period. 

Since retiring from the Courts, he has devoted much time 
to reading, and occasionally some to mathematical pursuits. 
He was a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, in 
its early days, and contributed some papers ; also a member of 
the Columbian Institute of Georgetown, D. C, and, it is 
believed, of some other Societies abroad. He was President 
of the Nantucket Philosophical Institute nearly the whole 
time of its continuance in operation, about from 1826 to 
1832, and delivered several lectures before the members and 
others, and contributed several memoirs to its collections. 
He published, in various newspapers, and in some scientific 
works in Boston and New York, mathematical questions and 
their answers ; but has not, as far as known to the writer, ever 
written a book of any size above a pamphlet. Some of the 
philosophical opinions first advanced in the papers by him, 
have since been adopted by others abroad. 

He evidently had greater mechanical and mathematical 



11 

ability than Dr. Franklin, whom his portrait resembles. He 
was a man of great versatile of talent, which is proved by 
his succeeding so well in so many different callings, sur- 
passing in them many who have devoted a whole life-time to 
one branch alone. He was almost wholly a self-taught man, 
and entitled, in the opinion of the writer, to the appellation 
of a Philosopher. He had failed in his memory and intellect 
for some years, but the last year it has been more perceptible. 
He died, Sept. 8th, 1849, aged 84 years and 3 months, want- 
ing 4 days. F. 



